22 THE WOODLOT. 



which can be quickh^ thrown on the leaves. One shovelful of sand 

 will make a satisfactoiy side check fulty 5 feet long if thrown b}^ a 

 practiced fire fighter. 



There is no need of clearing awa}' the old trees on the strip unless 

 it can be plowed, or at least sown to grass, rj^e, or the like. Other- 

 wise it is better to remove only the small growth which would burn. 

 The old trees help to shade the ground, retarding the growth of brush 

 and also preventing excessive drjdng of any material that may still be 

 on the ground. A cultivated strip is the next best fire line to a dirt 

 road, and if wide enough may be a better one. The cost of an ordi- 

 nar}" fire line is about ^10 per mile. 



If cattle and sheep are allowed to graze in the woods thej^ eat the 

 young hardwood seedlings. If, therefore, reproduction is desired in 

 any specified lot, cattle and sheep must be kept out. There is no 

 harm, however, in grazing in woods where reproduction is not desired 

 and in which the crowns of the trees are out of the reach of the 

 animals. 



INSECTS. 



There are a number of insects which seriously damage the trees of 

 southern New England. Young White Pines are often attacked by 

 the pine weevil and older pines by the pine bark-beetle. The weevil 

 bores into and kills the young top shoot, so that the tree has to sub- 

 stitute a side branch for the main leader, thus producing a crooked 

 trunk. The pine bark-beetle often attacks sickly trees and sometimes 

 thrifty ones, girdling and killing them. Sugar Maple suffers severely 

 from the maple borer. The grub of this insect gnaws spiral galleries 

 around the trunk, killing the live wood and often almost girdling the 

 tree. Hickory borers kill the small twigs rear the top of the tree. 

 Their injuries frequenth' affect whole groves. The gyps}" moth is 

 destro^dng great numbers of trees of all kinds in Massachusetts. This 

 insect defoliates the trees year after year until the}' die. These are 

 the most serious of the insect pests. The}" are difficult to combat l)}^ 

 any practical rriethods. They usually begin their work before they 

 are discovered, and even if spra3'ing would then kill them this is sel- 

 dom practicable. Single trees of special value in parks or on lawns 

 could perhaps be saved if the insects were picked off' or dug out of 

 their holes, as is done on fruit trees; but this is not feasible in a forest. 

 Under most conditions the only thing to be done is to destro}" the 

 infested trees or parts while the broods of insects are in them. With 

 young Pine this can be done by cutting off' and burning the leading 

 shoots as soon as their faded color shows the presence of the weevils. 

 After cutting Pine the pine bark-beetle is apt to breed under the bark 

 of the tops and stumps. The burning of the tops and the brush on 

 the stumps kills the broods or prevents their breeding. 



